A super Autumn or Winter walk on the borders of Chatsworth Park:

Turn left out of the drive and go straight across the next 3 crossroads.  Turn left onto the Matlock/Chesterfield road and then immediate right onto Screetham Lane.  Go over the next crossroads and then straight ahead at the next junction towards Beeley.  A mile or so along the lane, look for a wooded area on a left hand bend with a track going off to the right.  Park here.

Walk along the track and go over the stone wall stile and onto the green path ahead.
On your left is some of the most stunning scenery in Derbyshire, looking down over the Chatsworth deer park and the River Derwent and there are plenty of vantage points to sit and take in the splendour of it or enjoy a lazy pic-nic even on a cold day.  On your right begins the wild expanse of Beeley Moor, covered in bracken and heather and wearing a different colour with each season.  Look out for the moorland birds and diversity of plants.  This walk is best seen on a sunny Autumn day or a crisp Winter day with a mist hanging down in the valley.

You don't need to walk any further than this but for the more adventurous there are tracks ahead leading down to Chatsworth House  or you can go back over the stile and down through the woods to Beeley village and enjoy a pint at The Devonshire Arms.
(maps are advised for the longer walks!)


The Cromford Canal walk:

This is a super walk for a crisp Winter morning and takes about 5mins. drive and about an hour to walk.

Turn left out of the drive and left at the end of the lane and drive down through Lea and Lea Bridge.  Park outside the John Smedley factory,(well worth a look at the shop!) or turn right and park by the bridge on J.S. land.

Walk across the road to the bus shelter  and take the footpath to the canal.  When you reach the main canal, go over the bridge, turn left and walk along until you reach the tunnel.  Go up the steps over the tunnel and left, through a metal gate into a large field.  Walk up the righthand side to the top and through the gate, turn left.  Cross this field and go through the gate and follow the path diagonally across a wide field at Holloway, go through the gate, keep on the narrow path between a field boundary and a large house boundary, go through a gate and then diagonally up a track to the corner of a wood.  Go through the gate,( the chain opens), and walk along the woodland path to the corner of the wood.  Turn a hairpin right and walk along the wide beechwood walk back to your car.

Look out for:  water voles, moorhens, mallard, kingfisher and the woodland life under the huge beech trees.  If you like architecture then admire the wonderful Arts and Crafts era house next to the footpath as you leave Holloway!

If you are interested in canal history and relics then drive a little further along the road towards Cromford, just  round the bend look out for The High Peak Junction on the left and park here and walk to the canal to see all the old wharf buildings and the pumping station, which is fired up regularly by enthusiasts.  Drive on to Cromford itself and visit the lovely tea shop on the canal and the 18th.Century Richard Arkwright factory buildings, now little shops, featured on the Gryff Rees Jones TV programme, saving the nations buildings.

The White Hart walk:

A good walk for a  frosty Winter day,as it was below, because you know you are going to end up in front of the fire at The White Hart!

This is a walk from the front gate leading right to the door of The White Hart where you can stop for a pint on the way home!  The walking bit of it should take around an hour.

Out of the drive turn right and proceed to the end of Wheatcroft Lane, over the little crossroads and up to the end of Dark Lane.

Turn sharp left onto a track and at the end of the track turn left into Hollins Lane.  Continue to walk down the lane to a bridleway on the right signed 'Amber Valley route one'.  Proceed up the track between holly bushes and through the gate at the top.  Turn left and continue along the track towards the farm.  Just before the farm , turn left over a stile and head for the bottom left-hand corner of the field.  The track then continues down, following the hedge on the left until it eventually brings you out in the car park of The White Hart.

To return to The Cruck Barn, go straight across from the car park entrance onto Moorwood Moor Lane and then turn left onto Pit Lane which takes you back to Wheatcroft.  Back on the walk, if you were to continue along the Amber Valley route instead of turning left before the farm, it would take you to South Wingfield Manor in 15 minutes or so and then out onto the Crich road to make it a longer walk.

Look out for:-  the Highland cattle on Wheatcroft Lane, badger setts in the field next to the farm, kestrels hunting for mice around the farm and the donkeys near the top of Pit Lane.

The Wakebridge Walk. (2-3 miles)

This walk takes in one of the ancient areas of Crich, where William de Wakebridge, a valiant knight distinguished in the wars with France, established a chantry close to his manor house where daily masses were to be offered for the souls of his family who perished in The Black Death.  Some remains of the chantry can still be seen but the old manor house was demolished in 1771.  William de Wakebridge also owned land at 'Whetecrofte', so could he have once owned The Cruck Barn?

Leave The Cruck Barn by the lower gate and continue along the lane, across the small crossroads onto Dark Lane.  At the end turn left onto Plaistow Green Lane. 

Walk along the road to the bend and leave the road to walk straight ahead on the footpath.  At the quarry fence go to the right.  Cross the tramlines, walk down to the farm and campsite, heading left to the road.  This is Wakebridge.

At the road turn right and a few yards later turn right again off the road on a footpath heading across the field towards Wakebridge farm buildings.  Keep the farm on your right and on reaching a fork, take the left hand track following the line of trees up hill.

Follow this old coffin road until it peters out.  Keep walking straight ahead to a field and cross the field close to the fence on the left(*)

Cross straight over the next field and be sure to take in the view over Matlock and Riber Castle to the left and Crich Stand to the right.  Follow the waymarks at each stile, keeping Crich Stand on your right and aiming for the modern looking farmhouse and bungalow  and old yellow machinery ahead, Shuckstone Fields Farm.

Come out onto Shuckstone Lane, turn right along the road for a short distance then turn left onto a steep downhill lane.  At the crossroads turn left and return to The Cruck Barn.

Look out for:-    The remains of the mediaeval chantry at Wakebridge Farm.    The coffin road which carried the dead on their last journey all the way to Ashover Parish Church.                                                                                                 The remains of Shuckstone Cross, where the coffin cart was rested, (now all that's left is a large stone in a wall).  The term 'shuck' refers to a robber or highwayman and one can only guess that Shuckstone Fields was so named because travellers journeying across the moor as it was then, were accosted by such vagabonds once they were away from the safety of Crich.                                                                

(*) There were cows and a bull in the field at this point and although the cows and their young slowly followed us, with the dogs across the field, the bull took very little notice of us and did not seem at all risky.